


ODD MAN OUT

by teand



Category: Leverage
Genre: Episode Tag, Multi, OT3
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-09-02
Updated: 2009-09-02
Packaged: 2017-10-31 19:01:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 998
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/347374
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/teand/pseuds/teand
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He'd barely reached the sidewalk at the top of the stairs when he heard a familiar voice ask, "Are you ditching us?"</p>
            </blockquote>





	ODD MAN OUT

**Author's Note:**

> Episode tag for 207 The Two Live Crew Job. Unfortunately, I realized when checking something after having written 90% of this that they were in the bar the next afternoon NOT later that same night. So I made a conscious decision to disregard canon for the sake of story. Oh please, like you've never done that...

Leaning back against the bar, longneck hanging from his right hand, Alec watched Parker kick the ass of that Apollo dude as she picked a union 2234 5 lever sash lock like it was a piece of crap steel holding a bike to a railing. Alec grinned as the dude immediately went for best two out of three. Wouldn't matter, Parker was the best.

It was good -- and his smile twisted a little -- really good to see her interacting with someone who got her. Really got her. Could match all the quirks and twitches and the reasons behind them. Someone who wouldn't need an interpreter for the occasional Parkerism that not only made no sense in the real world but no sense in the world just left of center where they tended to spend their time.

A loud laugh drew Alec's attention across the room and just from the way Eliot was sitting, leaning a little forward, eyes crinkled at the corner, he knew the hitter was telling one of those stories that sounded like a pack of lies, but weren't. While Alec watched, Eliot leaned back and lifted his shirt, exposing a scar. Ah. The knife fight in Nigeria. Where the other three guys had knives and Eliot had an empty canteen and a half eaten powerbar. The Mossad chick laughed again, then leaned forward -- exact same position Eliot had been in -- and started a story of her own.

If they kept at it much longer, they were going to have to get a room because Alec knew Eliot was just aching to tell his "Indiana Jones, slipped under a moving truck, then climbed up and iced the fuckers" road rash story and pants were an impediment to the punch line.

They'd been passing the handcuffs back and forth all night.

"You okay?"

Alec came back to himself to find Sophie looking up at him with some concern. "Yeah, I'm good. This is just a bit…" His gesture took in their team and the other team. "…weird, you know?"

"Yeah." Sophie took a swallow of her coffee then glanced over at Nate and Stark. "I know. Still Chaos…" She used her free had to make the most sarcastic set of air quotes Alec had ever seen around the other hacker's handle. "…is heading back to prison so that must make you happy."

"It does.' He finished his beer and set the empty on the bar. "But mostly because the rat bastard tried kill you." He bent, kissed her cheek, and added as she blushed, just a little, "I'm gonna head. It's been a long night and I'm thinking of cleaning out the van. Tomorrow."

Given the look she gave him, he figured she knew more than she was letting on but all she said was, "Sleep well, Hardison."

He waved at Nate as he left, got a questioning eyebrow he shook off in return, and figured the other two didn't need to be interrupted.

He'd barely reached the sidewalk at the top of the stairs when he heard a familiar voice ask, "Are you ditching us?"

Eliot was there too, moving Parker up the final stair and out of the way of a couple of customers heading down.

"No," he said, when they were all on the same level, "I just figured you guys had other things to do."

"Really?" Eliot cocked his head and narrowed his eyes. "Why would you think that?"

"Well, because… You know." Alec waved both hands, made a few noncommittal noises, and waited.

They stared at him wearing identical expressions of confusion, although he knew damned well Eliot understood what was going on.

"Fine." They could play it that way. "Because you guys were hooking up. We never said anything about being exclusive or anything," he added quickly as Parker caught on and her mouth opened. "And face it, it's not like you get that kind of a chance every day, to, you know, be with someone who gets you like that."

"You thought I was going to have sex with Apollo?" Parker's nose crinkled. "Eww. That would be like masturbating, which actually I'm all for, don't get me wrong, but usually I like to do it alone. And besides…" Her fingers closed around Alec's wrist. "…you get me like that."

Eliot sighed. "What she said." Then he frowned as he reconsidered. "Well, mostly. Point is, Hardison, what we got, the three of us, it's better than a sizzling hot one off with a smokin' ex-Mossad agent, who may or may not have shot me in 2003."

Alec stared at him for a long moment. "You sure?"

"Yeah. Pretty sure."

"Eliot!"

Parker's punch must've hit a bruise because he winced. "I'm sure!"

"I suppose it might've been different if Chaos hadn't tried to kill Sophie and we'd got him out too," Parker said thoughtfully as they moved around another group of people heading down into the bar and stopped again at the door leading to the apartments. "Then it wouldn't have been just us because you and him could…"

"No."

"But…"

"Just, no. In fact, not even _just_ no. A thousand times no." Alec punched his security code into the elevator -- he'd taken the condo next to Nate's mostly to keep an eye on his gear but sometimes being so close to the job came in handy. Like now, when Parker had her hand shoved into his front pocket and she was _not_ playing with his change. And when Eliot was pushed up hard behind him. Hard being the operative word.

"Can I open the lock on the apartment?" Parker asked, curling her fingers as the elevator door closed behind them.

"Sure."

"And when we get inside, Eliot can show us his road rash again."

The two men exchanged a glance over Parker's head.

Alec smiled. "Yeah, I think we'd all like to see that. Hey, Eliot…"

"I've got them." The handcuffs dangled off one of Eliot's fingers.

"You the man."

\--end--


End file.
